What They Say:
Galilei Donna follows the three Ferrari sisters who are descendents of the astronomer, Galileo Galilei. The year is 2061 and the world is in the grips of another ice age. With a mysterious organization hunting them down and searching for the “Galilei Donna”, the three sisters must work together to fight against the organization and discover their true destinies.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Galiei Donna has been referencing its namesake Galileo more and more as it’s gone on, but I didn’t exactly expect it to reach the point of him actually being in the show. But sure enough, it has. The Galileo Tesoro isn’t just a mystical treasure that sucks up and transports nearby objects when needed; it’s also a time machine – a space-time machine at that, and one that, much like its other functionalities, the user doesn’t seem to have any control over. So after finding the last sketch (for now, as the hinting of an additional one doesn’t leave much to the speculation anymore) and getting into a very generic scuffle with the increasingly less interesting Roberto, it conveniently and unexpectedly activates, flinging Hozuki from Libya circa 2061 to Italy circa the late 16th century, the time and space it has apparently transported everything, leaving Hozuki with no idea of what’s going on, although it doesn’t take her long to feel at ease just from being around her famous ancestor.
Well now, that’s quite the development. Most science fiction and fantasy concepts get a pass given a decent enough explanation, regardless of the suspension of disbelief required (as long as it fits with the general tone of the story), but time travel is by far the most dangerous. Galileo tells Hozuki what’s been happening with the mysterious objects of the future and how he unjustifiably but confidently assumes that his idea will surely land her back where she came from (all of which he does without really bothering to ask any questions), and the episode ends with that task yet to be fully carried out and only two episodes left of the series in total. But there’s some major explaining to do. At the current stage, it’s hard to imagine who will be in the position to explain it all, much less how reasonable or entertaining it could possibly be, but even beyond that, there are big questions that need to be addressed. What theory of time travel does this follow? Does the Galileo Tesoro transport things to the Italy of a different world line? Because otherwise Hozuki would be affecting the life of her ancestor who has led to this entire ordeal, and that reeks of a poorly written time paradox that will really hurt the show.
The interactions between Hozuki and Galileo are a bit odd as well. Hozuki never seems too bothered by the whole situation, although that’s not terribly out of character for her. Galileo, for a man of knowledge, doesn’t really try to ask Hozuki about anything that even the least inquisitive person would, especially given Hozuki’s intuition, one of the better moments. And there are hints of romance that hopefully won’t be followed up on, as the two are obviously relatives from very different times, and beyond being about half a millennium older than her, the Galileo of this time does appear to be older than Hozuki by at least enough for it to be extra weird for that reason.
In Summary:
Galilei Donna makes some big leaps in the plot department for its last few episodes, and introduces as many new worries as it does new interests. The use of Galileo in this way is questionable, but the potential for time paradoxes and unsettling romance is more disconcerting.
Grade: C
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Toshiba Satellite L655-S5191 PSK2CU-1C301U Notebook PC.
